Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) could be set to declare Zika a global emergency following the ‘explosive’ spread of the virus.

The organistation has set up an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee to examine Zika and will meet on Monday to decide whether it constitutes a global emergency on the scale of Ebola.

There are fears that the virus – which has spread to 23 countries – is being passed to humans via the common mosquito.

Update:

Mr Carter has since contacted metro.co.uk to clarify some of his comments.

‘I may have seen 1 A. aegypti mosquito which I captured and was subsequently thrown away by our cleaner!,’ he said.

‘Transmission of the Zika virus (in Britain) is almost impossible because UK temperatures are not currently high enough for the virus to live outside the human body; albeit the mosquitoes that carry the virus can.

He added the sightings in Kent had not been reported to him.

‘In terms of sheer numbers Zika is already worse than Ebola: which will rankle the WHO after the criticism & failings of their actions or lack of them in the fight against Ebola spreading. Already 1m cases of Zika in Brazil,’ he said.